A dejected Paul Finebaum once told his wife ‘there’s nowhere left to go’ in his career

By now, the 61-year-old is a staple on SEC Network and ESPN. He has evolved from a popular regional radio host based in Birmingham, Ala., to a true national figure. He’s entertaining, enlightening and a must-watch figure whenever he opines about the SEC.

As reported by Spanberg, the agent agreed to meet with Finebaum as a favor for then-SEC commissioner Mike Slive. But the talk lasted just 15 minutes. Even though SiriusXM Radio had picked up Finebaum’s call-in radio show, the agent didn’t think the act had much appeal beyond Alabama and the southeastern United States.

Here’s more from the story:

Finebaum, dejected, walked to Central Park and contemplated the likelihood that he couldn’t go beyond his core Alabama audience. He called his wife while standing, shell-shocked, in New York.

“I’ve had a good career,” Finebaum told his wife, “but there’s nowhere left to go.”

That’s compelling stuff, and it’s a great behind-the-scenes look at a major moment in Finebaum’s professional life. He went on to receive recognition from a profile piece in the New Yorker, which gained the interest of ESPN executive John Skipper. Soon after, Finebaum joined the network. The rest, they say, is history.